Snowboard

VICTORY! Hämmerle wins Cross World Cup in Montafon

Alessandro Hämmerle(Bild: GEPA)

Alessandro Hämmerle has won his home World Cup in Montafon for the fourth time! 

The Olympic champion from Vorarlberg also took his compatriot Julian Lüftner (3rd) onto the podium at the 2027 World Championship venue on Saturday. Frenchman Leo Le Ble Jaques took 2nd place in the photo finish.

"When the race ends like this, it's obviously wonderful!"
Hämmerle spoke of "mega pressure" in the run-up to the race, after the previous races had not gone to plan. "Unbelievable, there's no better way to win in snowboard cross as an Austrian," said Hämmerle after his second win of the season and fourth podium finish. "The victory means an incredible amount to me. It's an extreme team effort." Lüftner made his comeback to the podium after a break of more than two years.

The ÖSV duo pulled off a masterstroke in the semi-final by overtaking season dominator Eliot Grondin on the finish line - only the photo finish resolved the scene. The 22-year-old Canadian did not make it into the top three for the first time this season, but still secured overall World Cup victory.

Other ÖSV boarders had failed to qualify
In the final, Hämmerle seemed unchallenged for a long time before things became tight again in the last few meters. Once again, there was jubilation only after the photo finish decision. World champion Jakob Dusek crashed in the quarter-finals and Luca Hämmerle had to retire in the round of 16 - the other ÖSV boarders had failed to qualify the day before.

A second race will take place on Sunday.